1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to detection of a moving object. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method which enhances a ground-based or other stationary sensor's ability to detect moving objects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Motion detection is generally accomplished with a fixed field-of-view (FOV) sensor utilizing a focal plane array (FPA). Currently, most change detection algorithms use straight frame-to-frame differencing (sometimes multiple times over) to achieve the desired effect of detecting a moving object. This approach can have a high degree of sensitivity, but often suffers from degraded noise rejection capabilities and must be tailored to a specific sensor's characteristics, and image-space environment.
The different sensor characteristics affecting performance may include the spectral band of sensitivity, degree of sensitivity, frame rate, noise equivalent irradiance (NEI), and number of focal plane array elements. Image-space environment differences affecting motion detection may include the level or amount of non-target clutter which is contrast variation in the scene, ambient lighting conditions, and object feature shapes.
One possibility for a motion detection of an object is to use an algorithm or method that is statistically based. An algorithm or method that is statistically based may provide for enhanced motion detection capability of both very bright objects and objects that are not bright when in the presence of background clutter or noise.